BBC Sport - Football - France beat Turkey and Italy to stage Euro 2016 France beat Turkey and Italy to stage Euro 2016 Uefa president Michel Platini announces France's victory France have beaten Turkey and Italy for the right to stage the European Championship in 2016. France previously staged the tournament in 1960 and were hosts again in 1984, winning it with a team captained by Michel Platini, the Uefa president. The French, hosts and winners of the 1998 World Cup, beat Turkey by just a single vote after Italy were eliminated in the first round of voting. Euro 2016 will feature 24 countries playing 51 matches over one month. "This is a beautiful day for us," said Jean-Pierre Escalettes, president of the French Football Federation. "It is a moment of intense emotion to know that in 2016 France will welcome European football and will fulfil its promises. "What counts for us is to have the full confidence of Uefa and this trust will not be betrayed.

"We also understand the frustration of Italy and Turkey - particularly Turkey, who lost by a single vote after bidding for a third time." 606: DEBATE Give your reaction to Uefa's decision Turkey rejected the suggestion that it represented a risky option after being pipped 7-6 in the final round of voting. "We are devastated. This was our third bid so it is not much consolation to know that we lost by a small margin," said Turkey's Euro 2016 bid manager Orhan Gorbon. "Losing is one thing but it is an underestimation of Turkey to say it was not capable of hosting a larger tournament. "I don't understand why France should be seen as the safe option." Platini admitted the contest had put him in a difficult situation - he is French, but of Italian descent and enjoyed his best playing years at Juventus. "It was not an easy situation for me - I am French, my name is Italian and I have many friends in Turkey. But Uefa has proved once again that we have democracy." French President Nicolas Sarkozy and former national team star Zinedine Zidane supported their country's case in a presentation to Uefa's ruling executive in Geneva on Friday.

The French government has pledged to help guarantee the projected 1.7bn euro (£1.45bn) cost of building and renovating stadiums despite the worldwide economic problems. "When I spoke to the French Football Federation, we asked ourselves whether we wanted to be candidates in the middle of a crisis," he told the ceremony during the French presentation. "But sport is an answer to the crisis. It is because we are in a crisis that we need sport. Nothing is more powerful than sport and, within sport, nothing is more powerful that football." France's winning bid for 2016 consisted of 12 venues - the Stade de France where France defeated Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final, Paris Saint Germain's Parc des Princes, Lens, Lille, Bordeaux, Nice, Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg, Saint Etienne and Nancy. Zidane spoke of being a young fan in the Marseille stadium watching Platini's extra-time goal carry France past Portugal in a classic semi-final in 1984. Zinedine Zidane was part of France's bid to stage the tournament "That is the type of experience I want to live again," said Zidane.

"Winning is beautiful but it's great to see all the people in the streets partying. This is what I would like to give my children." Platini added: "It was a very narrow decision - the work done by all three federations was outstanding, and I would like to congratulate the French. "It has been a complicated situation from the outset and I believe there is a sigh of relief from French football, and they can now upgrade all their stadia to make them up to the same standard as other countries in Europe." Turkey were bidding to host their first major football tournament while Italy's chances had been written off after a critical review of their bid following Uefa's inspection visits. Problems and delays in Poland and Ukraine, who will jointly host Euro 2012, may have persuaded Uefa's executive committee to avoid choosing Turkey, an untried country. "We all did our best," said Turkey President Abdullah Gul, who had called on Uefa to take a "historic decision" and help bring Turkey, which has a Muslim majority, closer to the heart of Europe.

"We are saddened that it was lost by one point." The 2016 event will feature 24 countries for the first time, up from 16 in 2012, as France becomes the first country to stage the European Championship three times. 1998 World Cup - Top 10 goals Bookmark with: European football championship 2016 France Home / Special Stamps / European football championship 2016 France European football championship 2016 France The 15th European Football Championship 2016 commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 will be held in France between 10 June and 10 July 2016. You may know Spain are the two-time defending champions, having won the 2008 and 2012 editions. For the first time, the European Championship final tournament will be contested by 24 teams, having been expanded from the 16-team format used since 1996.

European football championship 2016 France France was chosen as the host nation on 28 May 2010, after a bidding process in which they beat Italy and Turkey for the right to host the 2016 finals. The matches will be played in ten stadia in ten cities: Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis, Saint-Etienne, and Toulouse. It will be the third time that France hosts the tournament, after the inaugural tournament in 1960 and the 1984 finals. The French team have won the European Championship twice: in 1984 and 2000. EURO 2016 Stamps © Romfilatelia 2016 © Romfilatelia 2016 Romania’s national football team was present for the first time at the European Championships in 1984. Romania managed to win leadership of the preliminary group which included Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Italy and Cyprus. The final tournament, in which Romania participated alongside the teams of Spain, West Germany and Portugal, had the trophy won by the Spanish team, which defeated France in the final match.

The European Football Championship, Euro 2016 will take place in France. The inaugural game will be between the host and the Romanian teams. The dates of the three games in which the Romanian national team is scheduled are June 10th, against France, and June 15th and 19th against Switzerland and Albania respectively. Date of Issue: 10 June 2016 Denominations: 3 Lei, 3.5 LLei, 4.5 Lei, 16 Lei © 2016 UEFA TM © 2016 UEFA TM On the occasion of EURO 2016 La Poste issued special collector Notebook featuring 10 favourite football gestures. The 10 actions with the highest number of votes are collected in this book. Furthermore the actions were selected by the means of votes in January 2016.

Date of Issue: 30 May 2016 Denominations: EUR 0,80 AUSTRIA © Osterreichische Post Aktiengesellschaft 2016 it’s finally that time again: Austria national football team has qualified for the final round of a major event and is therefore in June at the European Championships in France. Austrian Post congratulates the National Team and celebrate Austria’s European Championships with a special stamp. The last part of the Austrian national team in a European Championship final round is back eight years and was not really owe sporting achievements. In 2008, when Austria and Switzerland jointly fought out the European Football Championship, both countries qualified automatically. Date of Issue: 10 June 2016 Denominations: EUR 0,80 TURKEY MONACO Every four years since the competition was founded as the European Nations’ Cup in 1960, Europe’s best players competes in the UEFA European Championship.

Date of Issue: 1 June 2016 Denominations: 1.00 € © 2015 Magyar Posta Zrt Magyar Posta issued a special stamp to mark the European football championship 2016 in France. The designs of the stamp, the first day cover and the postmark feature graphic compositions related to football. Hungary will play at the European Championship for the first time in 44 years. After beating Norway 1:0 away, they won 2:1 in the home leg of the play-off to secure their place at the finals to find Europe’s best. Hungary will play its first match in Group F against Austria in Bordeaux on 14 June. Next match is with Iceland in Marseilles on 18 June and plays the last group match against Portugal in Lyon on 22 June.

© 2015 Magyar Posta Zrt Date of Issue: 3 June 2016 Denominations: HUF 340 Source: Hungary Stamps FRANCE – Block France hosts from June 10 to July 10, 2016, the final round of the European Nations Football Championship for the third time after 1960 and 1984 edition. In addition France was European champion for the first time in 1984. Date of Issue: 2 April 2016 Denominations: 1 € About European football championship The European football championship is organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) every four years for the national men’s teams of the member associations. It is the most prestigious event in European football and the most important UEFA event. The first finals were held in 1960, when it was known as the European Nations Cup. The name was changed to the European Football Championship in 1968. Until 1976 only the 4 best teams took part in the final round.

This was increased to 8 teams in 1980 and 16 in 1996. On 26 September 2008, UEFA decided that 24 teams could take part in the finals of the European Football Championship in 2016, playing a total of 51 matches. On every occasion the teams reached the final tournament after playing qualifying rounds. France Euro 2016 Tickets | Buy Euro 2016 tickets | Football Ticket Pad More Uefa Euro 2016 Tickets Uefa Euro 2016 is being held in France and is the fifteenth edition of the prestigious European Football Championships. This time the championships incorporate a new format where twenty-four European countries compete, as a pose to in previous competitions where only sixteen teams have qualified. In total fifty-one games will be played in the competition, at top footballing stadia all across France. Initially the group stage splits the twenty-four teams competing into six groups with four teams in each. The top two teams from each group qualify for the knockout stages with the four best third place finishers also progressing.

The competition is then straight knockout for the remaining sixteen teams as they move through the round of 16, quarter finals, semi finals and final, until one nation alone is left victorious. Over the course of the competition there will be plenty of drama and memorable moments with twists and turns at each stage of the competition. Football Ticket Pad will be selling a fantastic selection of tickets for Euro 2016, with great seats available for matches throughout the tournament. If you are looking for a euro 2016 ticket you will be able to search by match and find the exact tickets that you desire all thanks to Football Ticket Pad. The best footballing nations in Europe will be doing battle at Euro 2016 as they vie for eternal glory for their home nation. This is the biggest footballing competition in Europe, only occurring every four years, and it is set to be an epic affair. Fans proclaim that this is to be one of the biggest and best Euro tournaments to date, so don’t miss out on Uefa Euro 2016 tickets for what is expected to be a classic.

The History of the Euros The first UEFA European Football Championships were held in 1960 in France, and this is a record breaking third time that the French will host the competition. The Euros, as the competition is more commonly known, are held every four years to alternate with the football world cup. This means that there is a major football tournament happening every two years and whenever there is an evenly numbered year. The last Euros competition was therefore in 2012; the world cup was held in 2014, so now in 2016 it is the turn of the Euros again. In the previous fourteen editions of the Uefa Euros there have been nine different winners of the competition. The most successful two teams in the competition are Germany and Spain, who have three titles each. Both of these nations are likely candidates to achieve a fourth Euros success. Spain are the only team to have won consecutive Euros titles, and did so in 2008 and 2012. This makes Spain two time reigning champions and means they could achieve a memorable treble of Euros titles if they win at France 2016.

The hosts France have two titles to their name and will be hoping that they can emulate their 1984 Euro triumph when they won on home soil. Their other European Champions title was in 2000 when they dramatically beat Italy on penalties in the final. Whether they win in dramatic circumstances again or cruise to a victory is irrelevant and their fans will be just hoping that they cross the line somehow. Other countries to have tasted European success include the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, who both now no longer exist and whose records are now allocated to Russia and Czech Republic respectively. Italy and Netherlands have also won the Euros once, and Denmark and Greece both achieved memorable upsets to clinch European Championship titles. For those who love a statistic, Denmark won the Euros in 1992 and Greece won twelve years later in 2004; twelve years after that puts us at 2016 so there may well be huge upset on the horizon in France. Euro 2016 Qualifying To gain access to the competition, European nations go through a qualifying campaign where they compete against other European countries. This means that only the best twenty-four European nations qualify for the tournament.

For Euro 2016, fifty-three European nations entered qualifying; split into nine groups each containing five or six teams. From these nine groups, the top two teams qualify automatically along with the team in third that accumulated the most points across all of the groups. The remaining eight teams who finished third must compete in a playoff to determine the last four places. These gives a total of twenty-three teams; add to this France who qualify automatically due to hosting the tournament and this makes a full complement of the twenty-four teams who will compete at Euro 2016. Who will win Euro 2016? This year the title is largely up for grabs and there is no team that everyone is expecting to win. The favourites are Germany who won the world cup in 2014 and who consistently reach the latter stages of big football tournaments but they are not assured victory. Hosts France are tipped by many to be victorious on home soil and double reigning champions Spain have got to be in with a shout despite struggling in qualifying. Other teams that will be competing and have an outside chance of winning include Belgium, England and Italy.

The beauty of the Euros is that the trophy can be lifted by any nation that competes in the competition, as previous shock winners Denmark and Greece prove testament to. How do I get France Euro 2016 tickets? Football Ticket Pad has France Euro 2016 tickets available for each of the 51 games happening at the tournament. With an exclusive network of suppliers providing a premium selection of Euro 2016 tickets, you can trust Football Ticket Pad to find the best tickets to all the biggest games taking place at Euro 2016. Football Ticket Pad will be selling Euro 2016 tickets to every game taking place at France 2016. We will sell seating in all categories, so you can either choose inexpensive ticket options if you are on a budget, or pick prime seating locations if you are looking for a truly unforgettable experience. If you buy Euro 2016 tickets with Football Ticket Pad you are bound by a 100% ticket guarantee so you can buy with complete confidence and be safe in the knowledge that you will have exactly the seats you desire as the drama at Euro 2016 unfolds.

Football Ticket Pad is the leading dedicated football ticket provider with a trusted online marketplace for football lovers to buy and sell 2016 European Football Championships tickets. We have provided thousands of delighted sports fans with football tickets at great prices, just read our reviews to see how overjoyed customers are with the fantastic service we provide. Our unique online marketplace means that football fans can buy France Euro 2016 tickets to games that are otherwise sold out. Football Ticket Pad can occasionally sell football tickets at well below face value. If you are looking for last minute cheap Euro 2016 tickets then be sure to keep checking our site regularly and you might just be able to grab yourself a bargain. Get your Euro 2016 tickets now at Football Ticket Pad! Buying 2016 Euros tickets with Football Ticket Pad is simple and secure. Our friendly team are on hand 24/7 to help with every step of the process and make buying tickets as quick and easy as possible so that you don’t have to deal with the stress of buying tickets. For Euro 2016 we are offering affordable tickets so that all football fans can enjoy the best of the competition even if on a limited budget.

Those with more to spend can enjoy hospitality and VIP tickets to truly get the best of this exciting tournament in France. We will have the best selection of tickets anywhere on the web so you can rely on Football Ticket Pad for France Euro 2016 tickets. Football Ticket Pad hopes you have a great summer and that you enjoy the feast of football that is Euro 2016! Search by Team Euro 2016 hosts France may play in qualifying, with no points awarded for games against them in group - Telegraph France Euro 2016 hosts France may play in qualifying, with no points awarded for games against them in group Hosts of European Championships in 2016 will still qualify automatically, but may play in preliminary rounds to ensure they play worthwhile friendlies Match practice: Franck Ribery may be among the first group of players to be placed into a qualifying group for a tournament they have qualified for automatically Photo: AFP By Ben Rumsby 12:34PM GMT 23 Jan 2014 England could be drawn to face European Championship hosts France in their qualifying group for the tournament under controversial new proposals set to be ratified by Uefa.

The French have been lined up as the first host nation of a major competition to take part in its preliminary rounds, with European football's governing body expected to wave through changes to the regulations for its quadrennial showpiece at its executive committee meeting, which starts on Thursday. Those changes would mean France joining Uefa’s 53 other member associations in next month’s qualifying draw in Nice, which will see each country placed in one of nine groups. Eight of those groups would contain six teams and one would contain five prior to the addition of France to compete the line-up. However, the French would still qualify for the tournament automatically as hosts, with the results of their group matches not counting towards any team’s points total. Uefa confirmed its intention to introduce the radical concept in its Euro 2016 regulations, article 21.02 of which reads: “The teams drawn into the group of five teams will have France added to their group for the purpose of playing centralised friendlies.” Related Articles Don't worry, France can always self-destruct 20 Nov 2013 European football’s governing body claimed the change would solve more than one problem experienced by host nations of major tournaments.

It said the main issue was the difficulty that country had organising worthwhile friendlies during the two-year build-up to the finals, particularly against teams from the same confederation. It is understood Poland and Ukraine both encountered that problem ahead of co-hosting Euro 2012. Uefa also wants to improve the dwindling profile of international football, having already discussed replacing international friendlies with a new ‘Nations League’. That proposal, which would see all 54 Uefa member nations compete across nine divisions – with promotion and relegation between them and prize money for the ultimate champions – is expected to be discussed again at this week’s ExCo. Michel Platini’s presidency has already seen the European Championship expanded to 24 teams and Euro 2020 become a pan-European tournament, while next season will herald the start of the so-called “week of football”, in which qualifiers will take place across six days to maximise viewers. Platini had been accused of favouring his native France last year when he helped ensure they were not picked in the dreaded Pot X during the World Cup draw in Brazil, a decision which saw them avoid a difficult group.

UEFA European Championship - Soccer Topics - ESPN UEFA European Championship Format/Qualification The UEFA European Football Championship is an international competition staged every four years to determine the top national team on the continent. Governed by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and considered the second biggest international tournament in the sport (after the World Cup), the competition consists of a qualifying phase with all eligible nations drawn into groups, followed by playoffs and a final tournament consisting of 16 surviving nations. Originally called the European Nations' Cup and featuring just four teams at the final stage, the event has grown since its inaugural edition in 1960 and will expand to feature 24 teams at the 2016 finals in France. Germany and Spain have won "the Euros" three times, the most by any country. After the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) was formed in 1954, the organization's first general secretary, Henri Delaunay, proposed an idea to stage a continent-wide competition for national teams -- a plan that he had pitched to FIFA decades before as a representative of France's national federation.

Delaunay believed that the competition, open to all of the European associations, should not lead to an infinite number of matches or harm the World Cup, and participants should not always be forced to meet the same opponents in the same group. Delaunay died in 1955, but his son Pierre joined with French journalists to lead the drive towards initiating such a competition. When the championship was finally approved to be contested every four years by UEFA in 1957, the trophy for the new competition was named the Henri Delaunay Cup in recognition of the general secretary's service for the cause of European football. The format for the inaugural European Nations' Cup was designed to follow the setup UEFA had instituted for the continent's top club competition, with aggregate scores from home-and-away matches determining which teams would advance through initial rounds that led up to a pre-determined site for semifinals and finals. While some of the more prominent national teams -- such as Italy and England -- decided against participating, 17 member associations entered the initial tournament, and play began with a match on September 28, 1958, won by the Soviet Union over Hungary.

The inaugural competition took place over 22 months between 1958 and 1960, with the four semifinalists meeting in France to contest the final stages. The Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia, 3-0, in one semifinal while Yugoslavia topped France, 5-4, in the other final-four matchup. Legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin allowed Yugoslavia a deflected goal, but the Soviets scored to force extra time in the final. With the Yugoslavs fading, Viktor Ponedelnik headed in a goal to give the Soviet Union the inaugural title in the European Nations' Cup. The 1964 competition began with more nations involved, with Italy and England among the 29 countries entered at the qualifying stage. Denmark and Hungary were impressive in the early stages and joined the USSR and hosts Spain in the semifinals. The Soviets cruised past the Danes to reach a second consecutive European Nations Cup final, but Jesï¿½s Pereda and Marcellino scored in Spain's 2-1 victory to give the home side a first-ever international title.

The competition was renamed the UEFA European Championship for the 1968 edition, which also featured a revised format as qualifying groups replaced two-legged knockout ties for the initial stage of the competition. Talented sides Portugal and Belgium failed to make it out of their groups, while England's finish atop the British Home Championship (serving as its group) earned it a place in the quarterfinals, where it topped holders Spain. Yugoslavia was able to end the English team's run with a 1-0 semifinal win, and looked likely for a first European title until a late Italy goal forced a replay. Host Italy received goals from Luigi Riva and Pietro Anastasi in a 2-0 defeat of Yugoslavia just two days later to claim the trophy. West Germany emerged as an international power in the 1970s, with Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller leading a strong team that captured the European Championship in Belgium in 1972. The West Germans were among the favorites at the 1976 event, along with Johan Cruyff's Netherlands side and host Yugoslavia.

All three made the semifinals in an outstanding tournament, but upstart Czechoslovakia surprised the favored Dutch in extra time in the semifinals and then battled Germany to a 2-2 scoreline after 120 minutes in the final. That resulted in the first-ever appearance of the penalty shootout in a major international tournament, with Antonin Panenka's lofted chip from the spot giving the Czechs the European Championship in dramatic fashion. The success of the 1976 tournament led to calls for a more extensive final stage to be incorporated into the European Championship format, and UEFA revised the setup for the 1980 competition so that eight teams figured into the finals in Italy -- with the winners of pool play within two groups of four advancing to a championship match. The host nation also was automatically awarded a place in the finals stage for the first time in the event's history, but Italy was placed in a tough group featuring England, Spain and Belgium and settled for a spot in the third-place match (the last time that consolation match would be played in the competition's history).

With no semifinals in place for this edition, group winners Belgium and West Germany battled for the trophy, and a late goal from Horst Hrubesch gave the Germans a 2-1 victory and a second European Championship title. Semifinal matches returned for the 1984 tournament, where a strong France team led by Michel Platini played host to seven other squads that survived continental qualifying. Holders West Germany were eliminated after the group matches, as Spain and Portugal grabbed the top two spots in Group 2. The home side breezed through its three Group I matches, but then needed two goals in extra time for a come-from-behind win over Portugal in the semis. Platini notched the winner in that match and then scored his ninth goal of the tournament in France's 2-0 win over Spain in the final to give his country a first-ever European Championship crown. The French then failed to qualify for the final stages of the 1988 tournament -- an indication of how tough the two-year long competition can be -- as another stylish side would re-emerge to claim its first European title.

The West Germans as hosts were considered the favorites in 1988, and Franz Beckenbauer's side topped its group to meet the Netherlands in the semifinals. Featuring the AC Milan trio of Ruud Gullitt, Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard, the Dutch were able to avenge a loss to the Germans in the World Cup Final 14 years earlier and win 2-1 to reach the title match against Russia. In the final, Gullitt gave the Netherlands an early lead before van Basten produced one of the more memorable goals in the competition's history to seal the victory. The striker's stunning volley off a lofted cross from a tight angle beat keeper Rinat Dasaev and provided the 2-0 scoreline that gave the Dutch the Delaunay Trophy. The 1992 European Championship was affected by the ethnic wars within Yugoslavia, whose team was barred from competing just weeks before the final tournament began in Sweden. Denmark was awarded a spot in Yugoslavia's place, and the latecomers' win on the last day of group play earned them a semifinal berth.

Denmark's surprise run continued after goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel played the hero in a penalty shootout with the Netherlands in the semifinals. Facing a favored Germany side -- competing as a unified nation for the first time -- in the title match, the Danes completed the storybook ending with a 2-0 upset to become unlikely champions. As the number of eligible national teams rose during the 1990s -- mainly due to the breakup of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia -- UEFA expanded the continental competition's format for 1996, which began with 48 teams entered in eight qualifying groups prior to a final tournament stage that included 16 teams for the first time. Two teams from each final group of four advanced to the knockout stage, where a number of penalty shootouts decided matches. Host England advanced past Spain on penalties to reach the semifinals, but then succumbed to Germany in yet another shootout. The Czech Republic -- formed as its own national team after the split of Czechoslovakia four years earlier -- came out of a penalty shootout over France in the other semifinal to set up a final reminiscent of the 1976 title match.

This time, the Germans prevailed, 2-1, after substitute Oliver Bierhoff scored the competition's first-ever "golden goal" in extra time. A sudden-death winner also decided the 2000 European Championship, which featured finals co-hosts for the first time as Belgium and the Netherlands shared the honors. France finished second in its group to the Dutch, before star midfielder Zinedine Zidane scored in wins over Spain and Portugal to lead the French side into the final. Co-host Netherlands looked strong until missing two penalties in regulation and three in the shootout to fall to Italy in the semifinals. In its first final since 1968, Italy were minutes away from the title when Sylvain Wiltord equalized for France. And 13 minutes into extra time, forward David Trezeguet volleyed home to finish off the dramatic, come-from-behind win and give France the European Championship, two years after it captured a World Cup title. Defending champion France was among a number of traditional powers aiming for the 2004 European Championship, but was eliminated at the quarterfinal stage by a defensive-minded Greece team.

The determined Greeks then upset another favorite, the Czech Republic, via an extra-time goal by Traianos Dellas in the semifinals. With host Portugal providing the final hurdle for Otto Rehhagel's side, Angelos Charisteas' header from a corner kick was the lone goal as Greece claimed the title to complete one of the biggest shocks at a major international football competition. The 2008 European Championship featured co-hosts in Austria and Switzerland, but neither made it out of the group stage as form held stronger than the event four years earlier. Spain and the Netherlands each won all three group stage matches and looked likely to meet in the semifinals until Russia scored twice in extra time to defeat the Dutch in the quarterfinals. Spain then blanked Russia, 3-0, to secure a berth in the final opposite traditional power Germany, who topped Portugal and Turkey by identical 3-2 scorelines to reach the title match. In the championship match for a sixth time, the Germans conceded a first-half goal to Fernando Torres, and Spain held on for a 1-0 victory to end the country's 44-year wait for an international trophy.

Contested every four years since, the UEFA European Championship has been showcasing the region's top talent and determining the continent's best team since 1960 (when it was known as the UEFA European Nations Cup). The format of the competition, which takes place over two years, consists of a qualifying phase, play-offs and a finals tournament. Two nations -- Poland and Ukraine -- will co-host the finals tournament portion of the 2012 European Championship, and their teams receive automatic qualification into that final stage. The other 14 places in the 2012 finals will be determined by qualifying play within nine groups of teams, made up by the remaining 51 national associations governed by UEFA (and randomly drawn together). Within each group (of five or six teams), qualifying play includes home-and-away matches between each team. Group winners -- along with the group runner-up holding the best record against the top five teams in its group -- progress automatically to the finals. The remaining eight second-place sides contest two-legged play-offs, with the victors earning berths to complete the lineup for the final tournament.

Teams were drawn into four groups of four for the finals of the "2012 Euros," held in Poland and Ukraine from June 8 to July 1, 2012. The top two teams based on round-robin play within each group advanced to the quarterfinals, which began the knockout phase of the finals that concluded with the championship final in Kyiv. The format of four groups of four teams was used for the last time in the 2012 tournament. The competition format will change for the next edition in 2016 as the lineup of participants competing in the final tournament will be increased to 24 teams. TOP STORY More Of The Spain Spain put to rest who was best at Euro 2012 with a 4-0 victory over Italy. One question: Is Spain the best ever? Roger Bennett » Report » 2012 UEFA EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP Qualifying Group Play: August 2010 - October 2011 Qualifying Play-offs: November 2011 Finals Draw: Dec.

2, 2011 Finals: June 8 - July 1, 2012 2012 Champion: Spain UEFA European Championship winners list | Football Bible UEFA European Championship winners list Published on Aug 29, 2014 The first UEFA European Football Championship was organized in 1960. It was previously called the European Nations Cup. Europe’s national teams contest the award every four years since that time. Currently, 9 nations have won the UEFA European Championship title with Germany and Spain being the most successful teams, each having three titles. Here is the UEFA Euro Championship winners list. 1960 UEFA European Championship Final scores: 2-1 (Extra-time) Host country: France The first final went into extra time after a 1-1 draw between the Soviet Union and their opponents, Yugoslavia. Viktor Ponedelnik found the net with a header in the second half of the extra time to give the Soviet Union a win at the Parc des Princes, Paris. Final scores: 2-1 Host country: Spain The Soviet Union got to defend their title four years later, reaching the finals of the tournament.

They played the host nation, Spain, with the score line remaining 1-1 up to the final minutes of the match. Marcelino won Spain the title with a goal six minutes to the final whistle. Final scores: 2-0 (Rematch) Host country: Italy Once more, the host nations qualified for the final. But this time it was Italy that was to battle it out with Yugoslavia in the 1968 European Football Championship final. Italy’s semi-final opponents, the Soviet Union, had been eliminated from the tournament after losing a coin toss used to determine 'the winner’ of the goalless draw. Italy won their first title after the final went for a rematch and ended 2-0 in their favor, two days after they tied 1-1. Final scores: 3-0 Host country: Belgium The performance of the Soviet Union team was still outstanding as they made it to the finals for the third time. West Germany won the match 3-0 with two goals from Gerd Muller and another from Herbert Wimmer, at the Heysel Stadium .

Final scores: 2-2 (5-3 pen) Host country: Yugoslavia West Germany defended their title in 1976 and qualified for the finals. The Germans forced the match against Czechoslovakia into extra time after Bernd Holzenbein equalized 2-2 in the final minutes of the normal play time. The fight was on but eventually the winner was to be determined through a penalty shoot-out. Czechoslovakia won the shoot-out 5-3 after capitalizing on a miss by the German Uli Hoeneb. Final scores: 2-1 Host country: Italy West Germany was at the finals for a third consecutive time, this time facing Belgium. Two goals from Horst Hrubesch made it 2-1 for Germany and they were crowned the European Champions for the second time. Final scores: 2-0 Host country: France The 1984 European Football Championship final was a match between Spain and the host nation France. France had a successful contest having one of their players, Michel Platini, achieve a nine-goal record in the tournament. His ninth goal came in the final when they outscored Spain 2-0 to win heir first title.

Final scores: 2-0 Host country: West Germany Netherlands and the Soviet Union met in the 1988 final held in West Germany. The most memorable moment of the match is the spectacular second goal by Marco van Basten. The stunning volley sealed the 2-0 win for Netherlands, who were playing in the final for the first time. Final scores: 2-0 Host country: Sweden In 1992, Germany had been unified and they got into the finals once again. This time their opponents were the newcomers Denmark. Denmark who had eliminated the Dutch in the semi finals. The Danes took the lead in the first half through a shot by John Jehsen and further extended it in the 78th minute to seal a 2-0 win. Final scores: 2-1 (Extra-time-Golden goal) Host country: England The 1996 final went into extra time after Germany and the Czech Republic still tied 1-1 at the 90th minute. Olivier Bierhoff of Germany scored his second for the match five minutes into the extra time and this was the first golden goal in the European Football Championship history.

Final scores: 2-1 (Extra-time-Golden goal) Host countries: Belgium / Netherlands France met Italy in the 2000 final of the tournament. They came into the competition having won the World Cup two years earlier and were contesting for a second title in the European tournament. France secured a late equalizer to break Italy’s 1-0 lead and the match went into the extra time. The final was determined by a golden goal 13 minutes later after David Trezeguet pushed France to win the match at 2-1. Final scores: 1-0 Host country: Portugal Greece made it to the final of the tournament for the first time having played in two European Championships. Though they had earlier on lost to Greece in the group stage, Portugal remained the favorites to win the match. Greece presented a major surprise by defeating the host nation by 1-0 in the 2004 final, thanks to a goal by Angelos Charisteas. Final scores: 1-0 Host countries: Austria / Switzerland Germany faced Spain in the 2008 final held in Vienna, Austria.

The match’s lone goal was scored in the 33rd minute by Fernando Torres pushing Spain to win the title. Spain was in great form as they won the tournament unbeaten. Final scores: 4-0 Host countries: Poland / Ukraine The World Champions, Spain, came to defend their title in Ukraine. The final match was against Italy and by half-time the Spaniards were leading by 2-0. The Italians had to play the better part of the second half with 10-men after Thiago Motta was injured. Two more goals from Fernando Torres and Juan Mata made it 4-0, the biggest winning margin in the European Football Championship final. This made Spain the only team that has defended the European Championship title so far. The 15th European Championship will be held in France from 10 June to 10 July 2016. It will consist 24 teams competing, a transformation from the previous system of 16 participants. 2016 UEFA European Championship Final Score: 1-0 (Extra-time) Host: France For the first time, the European Championship final tournament was being contested by 24 teams.

Each national team had to submit a squad of 23 players, three of whom must be goalkeepers. Portugal led by football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo won the finals against the host country France. The substitute Éder won the European Championship for Portugal with a brilliant goal after Cristiano Ronaldo went off injured in the first half. Before the game, Portugal have lost 10 matches against France but avenge those defeats by capturing the EURO 2016 gold. They have won their first Eurpean Championship and first major trophy with this victory. Most UEFA European Championship wins by country COUNTRY

Question: Which country will host the 2016 European Nations football finals?
Answer: France